Certain facilities, such as transformer substations, pose a potential hazard to both the public and wildlife. Occasionally, wild animals, such as squirrels or raccoons, may enter a transformer substation and short circuit a power line causing an outage. Chain link fences have been used to isolate the public, and to some extent, wildlife from distribution stations. Traditional chain link fences usually consist of a wire chain link screen or screen suspended between a plurality of suspension posts. Since the chain link screens are heavy and must be tensioned to maintain their structure, the supporting posts must be anchored to the ground, often by concrete backfills. Chain link fences have not proven effective in preventing the entry of squirrels and other small animals from transformer substations. Essentially small animals, particularly squirrels, are able to climb over chain link fences.
Occasionally, electrified fences have been used to keep certain animals, usually vermin, out of hazardous areas. These electric fences generally consist of a bare electrically conductive element, such as a wire or a metal bar, suspended on poles. The electric element is electrically coupled to a charging device. Occasionally, an electrified fence may have more than one conductive wire strung between the poles. To keep the electrified elements taut, tension must be applied; thus requiring the supporting poles to be anchored to the ground. The costs associated with building electrified fences with anchored support poles is relatively high since the anchoring of supporting posts is labour intensive.
Electrified fences have proven to be effective in keeping out larger animals, such as dogs or wolves, from enclosed areas; however, smaller animals such as squirrels, are often small enough to avoid the electrically charged wires of electric fences. Occasionally, these small animals are quick enough to pass through the wires between shock pulses (from the fence energizer) without receiving a shock. At other times, these small animals avoid the electrified elements of the fence by burrowing under the fence. As a result, the use of electrified fences has thus far not been effective in deterring squirrels and other small animals from entering certain enclosed locations such as transformer stations and distribution stations. There is a need for an effective and low cost fence which effectively prevents small animals, particularly squirrels, from entering enclosed areas such as electrical distribution stations.